Editor's Picks

Their chemistry is instant, and their attraction soon grows into a full-blown affair. This book is twisty, fast-paced, and all around fun to devour. You know that feeling when you meet someone who is so cool, you just have to be friends with them… so you lie about every aspect of your life, stalk the subject of your interest just a little, and slowly but surely ingratiate yourself to them? When Agatha runs into Meghan at a local grocery store, she is instantly captivated by Meghan's put-together persona, and sets out to become her friend—no matter the cost.

It's also psychologically-compelling, touching on the demands and anxieties of motherhood through its main characters. Would you move into the house?


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I devoured this book from its captivating first page to its chilling finale, and highly recommend it for fans of psychological suspense with an otherworldly element. This is a man who loves beauty so much that he wishes to preserve it forever—but his idea of preserving beauty is kidnapping, branding, and killing young women. If you prefer serial killer thrillers over psychological suspense novels, this book belongs on your TBR. And that's a wrap on this year's Valentine's Day recommendations!

Inexpensive Ways to Honor Your Spouse this Valentine's Day

I'd love to hear from you if any of these books are on your TBR - or if you've already read them. In the market for a buzzy psychological thriller to add to your winter reading list? This suspense novel has all the hallmarks of your favorite domestic thriller: But what makes me particularly glad to have read this book is the authenticity that fills its every page.

Highly recommended for readers who want complex yet binge-worthy domestic suspense.

Latest & Greatest

The authors featured in this list write in very different crime fiction spaces, but their work has one very important thing in common: From a harrowing coming-of-age story to a Scandinavian domestic drama to a modern take on a classic procedural and much more, this list highlights the expansive, elastic quality of the crime fiction genre—and proves that women are leading the charge across the board. In no particular order because I loved them all!

Readers follow series protagonists Detective Huldar and psychologist Freyja as they find themselves immersed in a bizarre case: In a story both gruesome and heart-wrenching, Sigurdardottir weaves a masterful mystery that belongs on the bookshelf of every Scandinavian crime fiction reader.

What do you get when you cross an Agatha Christie-inspired plot, a stylish-yet-rugged atmosphere, and some seriously dark secrets between old friends? As claustrophobia mounts and old secrets rear their ugly heads, things get darker still… and when one of the group is found dead, the truth is clear: This past weekend, I had the incredible opportunity to travel to Reykjavik, Iceland for Iceland Noir - a crime fiction festival that takes place in Iceland's capital city every other year.

The Dark Origins Of Valentine's Day

And what an incredible trip it was! A huge thanks to the entire Iceland Noir team for organizing such a memorable festival! Two years ago, I went on my very first solo international trip to Reykjavik for Iceland Noir I made great friends, learned about tons of new crime books, and fell head over heels in love with the beauty and magic of Iceland. In these posts, I will highlight three key elements that make the featured book a must-read. One of the trickiest things about blogging for me personally is finding time to highlight books that I loved before starting Crime by the Book.

Top 5 most Romantic Books! (Valentines Day)

The origin of this holiday for the expression of love really isn't romantic at all -- at least not in the traditional sense. This was based on the hypothesis that unmarried soldiers fought better than married soldiers because married soldiers might be afraid of what might happen to them or their wives or families if they died. And yet some of them seemed to be attracted to Christian faith.

But obviously the church thought that marriage was very sacred between one man and one woman for their life and that it was to be encouraged. And so it immediately presented the problem to the Christian church of what to do about this.

The Dark Origins Of Valentine's Day : NPR

And he secretly married them because of the edict. Valentine was eventually caught, imprisoned and tortured for performing marriage ceremonies against command of Emperor Claudius the second. There are legends surrounding Valentine's actions while in prison. He was supposed to have prayed with and healed the young girl with such astonishing effect that Asterius himself became Christian as a result. In the year AD, Valentine was sentenced to a three part execution of a beating, stoning, and finally decapitation all because of his stand for Christian marriage. The story goes that the last words he wrote were in a note to Asterius' daughter.

He inspired today's romantic missives by signing it, "from your Valentine. And with the power of the Holy Spirit we can do that -- even to the point of death. Valentine's martyrdom has not gone unnoticed by the general public.